I'm with bps. If they even think they can get it in their mouth they'll often hit it. I use size 8 mostly but tied a bunch in 6 4 2 to try and 12 brown hammered the 2 sat. Oddly enough 18 inch brown same hole on a sz 8 diff color.

I tie from 6 down to a 12. I like the looks of the smaller ones but I dont know how the trout feel about them. I have only been at this a about 2 years now and havent really used them a lot but am going to start this year when the water up north here is fishable.

Posted on: 2011/4/19 7:30

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"The gods do not subtract from the allotted span of mens lives the hours spent fishing"

bigger the meat, bigger the fish... didn't you read last months edition to fly fisherm an dude? get with it..

na, in all seriousness, with the water as high as it has been, I've resorted to the biggest flies in my box just to get down. Have caught large and small fish... they are all dumb.

Posted on: 2011/4/19 7:48

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Sure, we can assiduously three-quarter our wets down stream, mend, and wait out each fly swing, which to my way of thinking, anyway, relegates to the angler to role of butler, rather than nemesis.

Yo, Streamer flies can be "attractors" as this usually implies a rather brightly colored fly that really doesn't look like anything natural but catches fish because it gets their attention. I think, nowadays, the term "attractor" is often associated with dry flies. Streamers are almost always fished below the surface with some sort of movement to imitate swimming prey.

Regarding size of streamers: it's a crap shoot based on conditions and personal preferance. Yes, small trout will hit large streamers - for example, a 8" trout hitting a 3" streamer - but that doesn't mean you should use flies this size when targeting trout this size. When little fish hit big streamers they often miss the hook. Also, big streamers tend to be more wind resistant and heavy and thus harder to cast. Personally, I enjoy throwing enormous streamers but I also use a 7 or 8WT rod when doing it and am not targerting small trout but rather very large trout or warm water species. For your typical small PA stream, like Pennypack Creek, that has average size stocked trout I'd recommend a streamer 1" to 2" long.

If you're fishing for stocked trout, go with an 8 or smaller. I'd stay in the 2-8 range when fishing for wild fish... unless you expect them to be 6 inch brook trout. Imo, you'll get a lot more stockies willing to chase a size 10 than a 4. With wild fish, size won't matter as much... unless you're trying to match a specific size bait.

It was tied by a guide in Alaska... sculpin pattern with rubber leggs, very elaborate, very heavy. I threw every color possible down from 12, then I just started throwing my bigger spey flies with the sink tip.. it was the only thing I could catch fish on the first day. Wind screwed up my nymphing...

Posted on: 2011/4/19 14:43

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Sure, we can assiduously three-quarter our wets down stream, mend, and wait out each fly swing, which to my way of thinking, anyway, relegates to the angler to role of butler, rather than nemesis.

I have streamers that are 5-6 inches for trout, and I still catch trout that aren't much bigger than the fly itself. 90% of my streamers are 2's or 4's, not to mention the huge articulated streamers in my boxes.

My experience in the west[Montana]the 2s and 4s are best used in the fall during the spawning run as the trout hit them both out of anger and hunger.The rest of the year 6s would be a better choice as any trout that would hit the bigger flies will take the 6s if presented right so why make the fake more obvious.Muddy waters -if I bothered I would use big black nymphs,not streamers.

pete41 wrote:My experience in the west[Montana]the 2s and 4s are best used in the fall during the spawning run as the trout hit them both out of anger and hunger.The rest of the year 6s would be a better choice as any trout that would hit the bigger flies will take the 6s if presented right so why make the fake more obvious.Muddy waters -if I bothered I would use big black nymphs,not streamers.

I think we're talking about different types of fishing, but I was instructed to default to size 2s in Montana in july. The reasoning is probably two-fold. 1: higher, muddier water from runoff and 2: pounding the banks from a boat.

My usual streamer size is 4. 2 in my limited MT experience.

If I am fishing small flies, I'd rather nymph. If the fish are taking small streamers, I fish it behind a large one. Throwing small streamers sucks, and I have no interest in it.